Toddlers abandoned at Walmart to remain in protective custody, arrest made

Police said a pair of toddlers were abandoned at an Orlando Walmart on Tuesday.

November 17, 2010|By Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel

Editor's note: A previous version of this story included incorrect information provided by Orlando police about where the children were taken after they were abandonedat an Orlando Walmart.

A judge today said children abandoned at an Orlando Walmart on Tuesday must remain in protective custody, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Children and Families said.

Meanwhile, investigators announced the arrest of one of the two women accused of leaving the toddlers behind.

Police were called to a Walmart store on Kirkman Road in Orlando about 4:38 p.m. Tuesday. Investigators said two women in the store with four children — two infants and two toddlers — were shoplifting children's items when store security noticed their activities and approached them.

Police said the women grabbed the two infants and fled the store, leaving two toddlers behind in a shopping cart.

The Department of Children and Families took custody of the two children, as well as a third sibling. A DCF spokeswoman said today that the children are in good health.

Investigators said late Tuesday they had identified one of the suspects and were in the process of obtaining an arrest warrant.

About 6:10 p.m. Wednesday, police announced they had arrested 19-year-old Keyetta Lee in connection with the case. Lee was arrested in the area of Pine Hills Road and Silver Star Road and charged with petty theft/shoplifting and two counts of child neglect.

It was unclear Wednesday what her connection is to the children, though police said Tuesday the two suspects are likely related to the children. Police said the mother of the children is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges.

The family has an extensive history with social services, and that information is under review today, DCF said.

It appears that when the mother was jailed earlier this year, the children's family assumed care for the siblings, DCF added. There wasn't a formal transfer of custody, which is normal when a parent is jailed.

"So, right now we are still trying to determine who the primary caregiver was for these children in the mother's absence," the DCF spokeswoman said in a statement.